Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to surface treatment of fabrics with one or more lasers and, more specifically, to a system and method for generating a pattern image used to process a surface of a fabric through laser irradiation (lasing), to the overall lasing process, and to the fabric resulting from such treatment having a pattern corresponding to the pattern image. In certain embodiments of the invention, processing of the fabric may be accomplished through the use of either multiple passes of a single laser or multiple lasers each lasing an individual pass or multiple passes.
Description of the Related Art
Fabric, such as denim, can be processed to simulate a worn look. Conventionally, a wet process such as a stone and/or enzyme process is applied to the fabric, typically after the fabric has been transformed into a garment, to create a faded and worn look. Specifically, an enzyme wash in combination with an agitation element, such as stones or rocks, removes color from a ridged blue denim fabric to develop a contrasting pattern of variable color intensities creating a stonewashed look. The faded areas of the denim fabric can correspond to where stones or rocks contact the fabric during the enzyme washing process.
However, traditional stonewash and/or enzyme processes have numerous drawbacks. For example, each manufacturing cycle requires extensive time to create the stonewashed look. Further, a significant amount of water is used during the stonewash and enzyme processes. In addition, the handling and disposal of the enzymes and wastewater can require substantial attention to comply with environmental regulations.
Ring spun denim is a type of fabric that is processed into garments. Ring spun denim is a strong, durable fabric that includes imperfections, known as slubs. These imperfections (slubs) create a unique vintage quality look. In addition, ring spun denim has a more luxurious texture because more cotton fibers are used to create the yarn for ring spun fabric than conventional denim fabric. Due to the characteristics of the yarn, ring spun fabric tends to fade more evenly, contributing to a more authentic vintage look. However, ring spun denim is more costly than standard denim fabric due to the higher fiber count and relative inefficiencies in manufacturing the ring spun denim product.
Lasers have been proposed to process graphics and patterns onto a surface of a fabric, including denim, thereby creating different looks, including denim looks, using a dry process. However, re-creating an enzyme-wash look or stonewash look using laser processing techniques is difficult due to the unique characteristics created during enzyme washes and stonewashes, where each garment or fabric piece differs from the other. Specifically, previous lasing methods implemented uniform, repeating patterns that might not adequately capture the contrast in color intensities to create aesthetically pleasing enzyme and stonewash patterns.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,495,237 and 6,616,710 disclose methods and systems for laser irradiating various substrates in order to apply a graphic to the surface. Specifically, the '710 patent discloses use of a laser to simulate an enzyme wash and the '237 patent discloses methods to create a stone wash image.
An object of the invention is to provide a method and system for generating a pattern image used to process a surface of a fabric through laser irradiation that improves upon prior pattern generation methods and systems.